Aviator&#39;s garment



1,845,099 M. PoPELAKovA; BORN BURIANOVA AVIATORS GARMENT Feb. 16, 1932.

Filed Opt. 21. 1929 Patented Feb. 16, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE AVIATORS GARMENT Application filed October 21, 1929, Serial No. 401,220, and in Czechoslovakia October 26, 1928.

In parachute arrangements hitherto known the parachute is attached to the parachutist by means-of a harness girdling different parts of his body. The parachute proper is kept in a special sack which is arranged loosely with regard to the airman and which opens afterthe airman springs out of the aircraft. Such an arrangement however is rather inconvenient for the airman and limits considerably his freedom of movement.

The disadvantages of the prior art devices are eliminated by a special construe-- tion of the airmans garment which garment forms a part of parachute sack or alternatively is connected to the sack. For securing the parachute in place the present arrangement employs large surfaces of the airmans garment e. g. its entire backside so that the parachute sack is flatter and more manageable. According to a further part ofthe invention the part of the sustaining girths girdling the body of the airman is placed within the airmans garment, a portion of the girths being separably attached to the garment. This arrangement proves to be rather important because the free part of sustaining girths is shortened as much as possible and the girths cannot be caught when the airman springs outby any part of airship.

In former arrangements where parachute and harness were arranged separately from the garment of the airman there werno advantages of harness as in the present invention because the harness was fixed over the garment and the free parts of the girths were too long.

7 In the accompanying drawings, an embodiment of the invention is illustrated by way of example. Fig. 1 is a rear elevation showing an airmans coat, the backslde of which is provided with means to be un ted with a parachute sack, Fig. 2 is a d1agrammatical cross section of the airmans dress w and parachute sack. Fig. 3. is an inside view of an open parachute coat showing the arrangement of sustaining girths within the. i v

v trouble the airmannn any way and exclude coat.

Heretofore, parachutes have been kept in a special sack and the airman was obliged to fix the sack on his body by means of an external harness consisting of long free lying I girths. According to the present invention the parachute sack is closely arranged on or forms a part of the airmans garment. Preferably on the" backside of the airmans garment a separate parachute sack is secured and partly covered by parts of the garment. For this purpose the airmans garment l is provided with prominent laps 2, 3, 4 (Figs. 1 and 2) if then a separate parachute sack 5 is put in, the sack laps 6, 7, 8 are partly covered by the coat laps 2, 3, 4 each sack lap lying under the respective coat lap, the corresponding laps being connected together by means of pressbuttons 9 or in any other suitable manner. Also the parachute sack base 10 can be connected with the backside of the airmans garment, for instance by means of strong pressbuttons 12 (Fig. 2). Inside of the parachute sack 5 is placed in a known manner the parachutewith its sustaining laces. An

opening movement of the bolt keeping the parachute sack closed results in an-opening of the sack laps and consequently also of, the. free coat-laps. The lower lap 13 of the parachute sack need not be covered by a coat lap. The parachute sack can also be placed on and fixed to another part of the airmans dress, not only to the backside of his coat or combinationsuityit can be fixed for instance to the breast or belly part of the dress or to the trousers. In every case the parachute sack is arranged so that it covers on the dress as great a surface as possible and the parachute can be accordingly folded there in a fiattest form. The invention is not limited to the forms represented or mentioned in the specification and the drawings but shows the parachute sack constructed-in close connection with 'the' airmans dress or with a part of it.

Sustaining girths connecting "the airman with his parachu'te'are according to the invention (Fig. 3) placed inside'of the airman s dress andarranged so thatv they are almost covered anddo-not hang out, do not the risk of being caught on the airship. 1

These girths consist of a double main girth 14 which lower parts being placed beside each other stiffen the lower border of the coat. They are kept in place by a cloth strip 15 and the arts 16 of them serve for connection with tl ie parachute laces. Another por.- tion of the sustaining girths forms two crossing loops 17 18 which are fixed by means of strips 19 near the upper border of the breast part of the airmans garment. The loops 17, 18 are provided with straps 20, 21 or other means by which they can be clasped together. The lower part of the girth 17, 18 as well as its crossing parts are covered by a triangular lap 22 the lower border of which is sewed on the airmans dress and the upper borders of which can be fastened to the garment by means of buttons 23. The airman when putting on his garment puts his hands first through the loops 17, 18 and then in the sleeves; then the girths pass over both of his shoulders cross each other on his back and surround his waist. They are connected by the straps 20, 21 and with their lower ends united on lower circular girths 24, 25 these being fastened to the lower part of the main sustaining girth 14 and closed by means of clasps 26 or in any other manner. The girths 24, 25 embrace the airmans upper thighs. The main girths 1416 join the sustaining laces which pass out toward the edge of the parachute umbrella. The parts 16 of the girth 14 pass-4f the parachute is folded'close over airmans shoulders (Fig.

-1),' are folded under the laps 3 and 4, pass under the sack lap 6 and enter the sack to the parachute laces.

The parachute sack may also be united with the airmans garment and the laps of the parachute sack may be sewed on the backside of airmans garment. The said laps can also be substituted directly by parts of the backside of. airmans dress the sack base being formed by the dress lining or by a special piece of cloth put between the laps.

Because the parachute sack is closely :onnected to the airmans garment only the necessary parts of the girths project from the garment which girths are made as short as possible and cannot be retained by any part of the airship when the parachutist springs out. Moreover the airmans body is held by the sustaining girths in a reliable and very manageable manner so that he has almost complete liberty of movement.

I claim:

1. An aviation garment comprising, a coat,

a parachute girth having a pair of looped portions, the ends of said girth depending therefrom, means securingsaid girth to said coat with said looped portions respectively encircling the armholes of said coat and a circular leg girth secured to each end of said wherein said first means includes a triangular flap secured at one portion to the inside of said coat and a plurality of snap fasteners for detachably securing the free portion of said flap to said coat over said girth.

3; An aviation garment comprising, a coat, a parachute girth having a depending looped portion, means securin said looped portion to the bottom rear portion of said coat, a. second girth having a pair of looped portions, means securing said looped portions to said coat around the armholes respectively, circular leg girths, means securing said leg girths to said first girth and to said second girth. V

4. An aviation garment comprising, acoat, a parachute casing, means for detachably securing the base portion of said parachute casing to said coat, a plurality o flaps on said coat overlapping said parachute casing, and means detachably securing the free ends of said flaps to said parachute casing.

5; An aviation garment comprising, a coat, three flaps arranged in inverted, U-shaped configuration, on the back of said coat, and means securing said flaps to said coat.

In testimony whereof, I afiix my signature.

MARIE POPELAKOVA. 

